Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 36.77
Liaison Ashley Woolman
Submission Date Feb. 16, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Western Colorado University
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.51 / 14.00 Brooke Moran
Professor & Chair of the Sustainability Action Committee
Recreation & Outdoor Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses with sustainability content::
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 1,501 177
Number of sustainability courses offered 5 18
Number of courses offered that include sustainability 16 14

Number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer at least one sustainability course and/or course that includes sustainability (at any level):
7

Total number of academic departments (or the equivalent) that offer courses (at any level):
11

Number of years covered by the data:
Two

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
An inventory of the institution's course offerings with sustainability content (and course descriptions):
---

The website URL where the inventory of course offerings with sustainability content is publicly available:
A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the course inventory:

A detailed email re: STARS was sent to department chairs, asking if their courses fit the sustainability criteria; Chairs then reported back to the chief investigator of this section. As data was entered into a spreadsheet, course descriptions were reviewed for fit to the categories.

The registrar used software to determine how many undergraduate and graduate course were offered from Summer 2014-spring 2015.

Fall 2015 MEM courses were added to the list.


How did the institution count courses with multiple offerings or sections in the inventory?:
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted (if different from the options outlined above):

Undergraduate courses counted 1x no matter how many sections were offered. For example, ROE 351 is offered 2x/year, but was only counted once.

Graduate courses were counted for each offering. For example, MEM 620 & 625 have multiple sections with VERY different curriculum (e.g., Social License vs Sustainability Consulting and Leadership Development); hence, each section was counted.


Which of the following course types were included in the inventory?:
Yes or No
Internships No
Practicums Yes
Independent study No
Special topics Yes
Thesis/dissertation No
Clinical No
Physical education No
Performance arts No

Does the institution designate sustainability courses in its catalog of course offerings?:
No

Does the institution designate sustainability courses on student transcripts?:
No

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

- Education stated that the do not have sustainability / sustainability-themed courses.
- Art reported that while some professors do use reclaimed materials and may touch on sustainability, it is not regularly a part of courses.
- Exercise and Sport Science has health & wellness aspects of courses (e.g., social sustainability), but sustainably is not targeted.


- Education stated that the do not have sustainability / sustainability-themed courses.
- Art reported that while some professors do use reclaimed materials and may touch on sustainability, it is not regularly a part of courses.
- Exercise and Sport Science has health & wellness aspects of courses (e.g., social sustainability), but sustainably is not targeted.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.